”If we will be quiet and ready enough, we shall find compensation in every disappointment. If a shower drives us for shelter to the maple grove or the trailing branches of the pine, yet in their recesses with microscopic eye we discover some new wonder in the bark, or the leaves, or the fungi at our feet.”
~ Henry David Thoreau
(Journal, September 23, 1838)
“The Earth offers gift after gift — life and the living of it, light and the return of it, the growing things, the roaring things, fire and nightmares, falling water and the wisdom of friends, forgiveness. My god, the gift of forgiveness, time, and the scouring tides. How does one accept gifts as great as these and hold them in mind?
Failing to notice a gift dishonors it, and deflects the love of the giver. That’s what’s wrong with living a careless life, storing up sorrow, waking up regretful, walking unaware. But to turn the gift in your hands, to say, this is wonderful and beautiful, this is a great gift — this honors the gift and the giver of it. . . . Notice the gift. Be astonished at it. Be glad for it, care about it. Keep it in mind. This is the greatest gift a person can give in return.”
— Kathleen Dean Moore, Wild Comfort: The Solace of Nature
Elisa's Spot 
This was great, Wish I had that kind of enthusiasm.
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why do you think that you do not, what makes you believe that?
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Enthusiasm requires energy, of which I have little. Also, In the past my enthusiasm has been squashed, or laughed at by someone, and after a while it is just easier to keep it to myself.
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I beg to differ. Just in perusing one of your posts, there is great enthusiasm (you use the word joy) for the hummingbirds, you also engage and express yourself in your felting and painting. Often what can cause or create a smash is in looking for the approval of others, even through wondering if one’s painting expression is sale-able. I do not think that you meant to imply that the only measure of worth or of enoughness is in its ability to fetch a price?
As for the energy, I am often lying in a bed. A change at what I am looking at (in my head, if not literally), an attempt to engage something, to notice something, to move the energy of the spirit can infuse the rest of me.
I know a man who was driving an ambulance, taking a patient to hospital, when a motorist did not follow the law, went through an intersection, slammed into the ambulance, flipped it and left the rescuer paralyzed so that all he could do was move his eyes. The joy in those eyes when his is engaged has made all of the difference in his quality of life and his drive to live, even immobile and dependent upon others for external things, his spirit, his inner flame needs to be fed, tended, caressed.
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Finally getting back to you after not having power for 60 hours. I appreciate what you say. It is making me consider passion and enthusiasm. I guess with me it depends on the day… Thanks you for your reply and the story of the paralyzed rescuer. I will remember it.
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Wow, that’s a long time without power! I have been thinking that I hoped with your conditioning and experiences that my response did not come across as squishing, it, in fact, was meant to be enabling in order to shift a perspective. (only you can choose, other can only suggest) 🙂
Oh, hey Kathy made a comment about enthusiasm waning, ebbing, and flowing, I did not really consider that when I responded to you–though I am aware that it occurs. There are lots of nuances in the video and in my own communications that aren’t perfect (yay!) and I have been glad for the opportunity to look at myself and to wonder at the back and forth that goes on between people communicating and wishing to be understood. I am very enthusiastic about looking at what happens when people walk alongside each other.
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Elisa, I’ve come over here three times now to look at your blog post, but haven’t had time to look at the video. Has it to do with enthusiasm? Which has me thinking about enthusiasm and how it can rise and then ebb and rise and then ebb. I’ve been so enthusiastic having Kiah home for the past two weeks and we’re driving her to the airport soon and what shall happen next? Thank you for this blogging dedication.
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Yes it does have to do with enthusiasm. It rather shares important landmarks or steps that occur in enthusiasm, desire, passion, experiencing…and his own is doing/ getting. I am not so much into the gimmie gotchas, ok I might be, but different things…not going to drive me passionately crazy trying to find just the perfect correct expression now..
Personally, I find him hyper. I am not sure that such physical exuberance is ‘required’ for showing, feeling, having, nor expression enthusiasm. There are specific feelings and then there are the billion words that we try to stick upon them in order to understand each other, and sometimes just to show others. That is where I was going with the Feeling the Meanings of Words image. I am glad that you shared what you did there too. I did not know that people don’t feel words. I have heard of people seeing colors for letters before! I can see colors for words, which give me meaning of them, but mostly I get the colors of how a person feels/felt when they used a word. Some words are so heavy that they feel like a person in hip waders that are too big for them sucking and pulling in deep deep quicksand or mud…thhhhhhhhhhhuuuuuuuuuuuuuck slllllllp…..poooooooosh and the heart goes oo uh and the spirit a tiny flare.
I am unsure if enthusiasm once when has it, really does ebb. Maybe the desire that tells us to attend to the enthused subject does and then we choose to attend this or that, but i’m not sure that a real passion ever goes away (please God don’t kick my butt for that one, it’d be quite ouchy for sure!–I will continue to consider it so that I can understand people better)
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yes:)
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hehehe and I just want to give you a kiss!!! and giggle…:P
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